Loy Kratong Celebrations
Not an official holiday, but a festival you should not miss when in Thailand. People float little containers with a candle, joss sticks and a coin to thank the river goddess, make a wish and get rid of their past years sins.
You can either build your own Kratong, or buy one from the many stands that pop up on this evening. Each town will have a Miss Kratong beauty contest and a fair somewhere along the river. Monks will predict the future and give you a blessing, children can play on inflatable slides, ride the merry-go-round while their parents test the food and their abilities with casting darts on balloons and hope to win one of the cute toys.
We spend the evening with all volunteers and friends on a float at Wat Meetchai with a delicious dinner and bought our kratongs, again not enough time to build our own! After floating the kratongs some strolled around the fair while others tested all delicatessen that are usually sold on festivals like roasted bugs, silkworms and grasshoppers or tried their luck.
More Loy Kratong photos in our photo album
Construction of new school library started
It will be a basic one room library for a primary school in a village along the Mekong River. A room to store books but also to spend time in reading. And once it is finished we plan to read English and Thai children books to the students and their parents on a regular basis.
Floor and roof are in place, the floor is already tiled. What is missing are the walls, electricity, windows and door and the interior.
We still need helpers to finish the project. Work includes basic carpentry, laying of cables, installing lamps and sockets, painting. You do not have to be an expert, some practical skills will do. You will also have time to mingle with the kids at school, play volleyball or soccer with them, let them teach you takraw, a Thai ball game. If you like you are also very welcome to help them improve their English by joining their class for a few hours or just spending time with them.
back to the topA new library is nothing without books.
Donate English children and youth books! Thai books can be bought here, but the choice for English literature for children, teenagers and adults is more than limited.
Sending books from abroad is relatively cheap and fortunately there is no import tax on books. Best would be picture books with little text for the children and easy to read books and magazines for teenagers and adults.
This school is not the only one with a lack of English books. The neighbouring high school is also lacking English books. The orphanage and the Vocational Training Center for Disabled People in Nong Song Hong would also be happy about some books or magazines.
Books can be send to Kanokwon Sookserm inside Maekhong Resort, 88 Mittaparb Rd., Meuang District, Nongkhai 43000, Thailand, and we will sort and take to the most appropriate place.
back to the topThai student seeks people who took a gap year in Thailand
Jaruwan Supolrai is a fourth year university student, majoring in English and Communication at the Faculty for Liberal Arts of Ubon Ratchathani University in Ubon Ratchathani. He wants to conduct a survey to gather information for his research. Topic is “The Attitudes of Foreign Students Toward Taking A Gap Year in Thailand”.
He needs to contact people between 16 and 40 years who are currently taking or already took a gap year in Thailand. If you like to help him gathering the data for his research project, please contact him directly by email nettingishere@hotmail.com or telephone(+66) 01-0722714
back to the topSingapore group returns home after a week full of action and fun
For one week 24 students from Hwa Chong Institution School teached English to Thai children and helped brighten up the life of orphans and disabled people by spending valuable time with them. They shared your knowledge, ideas and were giving them the feeling that someone cares.
Well prepared by their teachers, they arrived here with a lot of good ideas and won the hearts of their students fast. English learning with fun and a lot of action made them very popular with students and Thai teachers.
It was quite a sight to see students and teachers from two Thai schools, people from the village and the Singaporean students all dancing on the soccer field together to the choreography they had taught the days before.
back to the topUpcoming Thai Festivals and Holidays
- 31 December 2005 New Year's Eve
- 1 January 2006 New Year's Day
In Thailand there are three New Year's days. The Western, on Jan 1st, the Chinese New Year on the first day of the First Lunar month, usually in February and the Thai New Year marked by the Songkhran festival in April. Thais usually exchange gifts on January 1st. - 2 January 2006 Substitution for New Year's Day
- 14 January 2006 Mahayana Buddhist New Year
- 29 Januar 2006 Chinese New Year's Day
Chinese New year depends on the lunar calendar. It is on the second new moon day following Winter solstice, a day around December 22 in the nothern hemisphere. Chinese celebrate their lunar new year with one week house-cleaning, lion dances and fireworks. This is also the time to pay respect to the ancestors. We invite our volunteers to take part in the celebrations for our family.